Steam table



Jan. 1, 1929.

A. PERON STEAM TABLE 2 Sheet's' -Sheet l INVENTOR 84/1041 ll A 'T R EY Filed Oct. 1926,

Jan. 1, 1929.

A. PERON v STEAM TABLE Filed 001;. 4, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mow Patented Jan. 1, 1929.

iT'En stars- OFFICE. i

ANTHONY PERON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STEAM TABLE.

Application filed October 4,1926; Serial No. 139,311.

The objects of this invention are to provide a steam table for keeping foods warm; which can be utilized as well as a table or counter for serving purposes and in which also the serving table portion of the apparatus will be warm so that'the foods will be kept hot even after they are removed from the steam table proper and placed on the counter for serving.

Further objects of the invention are to provide the apparatus for accomplishing the above in simple, practical and attractive form. v

The foregoing and other desirable objects are attained in this invention by certain novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts as disclosed in the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate one of the practical commercial embodiments of the in vention, but the invention is not limited to this particular form, as will be apparent from the broad scope of the following specification and claims. I

Figure l is a broken plan and part sectional view of .a. combined steam table and plate warming oven, this view being taken as on line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2- is a rear elevation of the same,

partly broken away and appearing in section.

Figure is a vertical sectional view as on substantially'the plane of line of Figure 2. I Figure 4 is a broken horizontal sectional vielw'as on the plane of line ll of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional detail showing one of the rolling covers for the pans in the steam table. 1

The present invention diflers radically from the usual steam table in that the steam heated pans containing the foods, instead of being supported in the top of a table structure andoccupying the entire table area, are mounted in a steam table structure which is supported below the table top, leaving the latter free and clear for serving purposes.

In the illustration the food pans are shown at 7 seated in a frame 8 which supports them in a water tank 9 located in a compartment 10 below the table top 11. This compartment is open to the rear of the table structure and so is fully accessible to the attendant.

The tank is shown as heated by burners 12 located below the tank in a compartment 13 in the lower portion of the table structure and shown as open to the rear, to be utilized,

provided from the lower burner compartment up past the back of the tank and to the rear of the front wall 17 of the table partly bythe back wall 18 of the tank and a wall 19 extending upwardly therefrom to the lowerinclined wall 20 of the tabletop. It will be seen particularly in Figure 3 that the heat from the burners will. pass up in back of the tank and up through the flue 16 into the forward portion of the table top, 3 asindicated by the arrows and, filling said top, will escape downwardly through outlets 21 provided in the bottom of the overstanding rim in the bottom of the outstanding or overhanging portion 22 about the front and ends of the table top;

The table topis shown constructed with a section of angle iron 23 extending about the interior-of the same, having its upright flange 24C fastened to thesidewalls of the top and its horizontal inwardly extending flange 25 fastened as by bolts or other securing devices 26 to the inturned flange 27 at the upper edge of the front and end'walls of the body structure. The angle iron forms a reinforcement bracing and supporting the extended edge portions of the tabletop and thevent openings 21 may conveniently be formed in the horizontal flange of the angle iron which extends out past the front and end walls of the body. a

To confine the heat about the rear of the tank, an apron is shown at 28 extending in spaced relation from the upper portion of the'pan downwardly to a position beneath the bottom of the pan and terminating in an from the pans and placed on the table is therefore kept heated until actually removed. The table top being entirely clear, enables the attendant to serve the food as fast as may be required, placing the dishes as they are filled directly on the hot table top, from whence they may be removed by other attendants or by patrons themselves. The structure, furthermore, provides an off take for the burner products, said products being sufficiently cooled after they have circulated through the table top to be permitted to escape into the air about the overstanding rim of the top. The directing of these escaping fumes downwardly has the effect of checking them sufficiently for the table top to absorb practically all the heat.

If desired, the steam table may be made as a single unit or as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, it may be combined directly with a plate warming oven such as shown at 30. This oven is heated by'a burner 31 and is shown constructedas an extension at one end of the steam table, with the top of the table extending thereover. The portion of the table-top whichiextends over the warmirfg oven may be an extension of the hollow top over the steam table; and be interiorly heated the same as that, or be shut oif from the heated top by an interior partition such as indicated at 32. In some instances, a plate warming oven may be added to each end of the steam table structure.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. A steam table structure, a hollow serving counter immediately above the same, heating means for the steam table and an exhaust heat flue extending from said heating means upwardly into said hollow serving counter, said serving counter having an overstanding rim with downwardly directed vents therein.

2. In a steam table, a table structure comprising a hollow table top, a tank supported in spaced relation below said table top, food pans seated in said tank, a wall extending upwardly from the back of the tank to the hollow table top and forming in conjunction with the front wall of the table a flue for conducting heat products from below the tank into the hollow top and heating means below the tank and arranged -to discharge into said exhaust heat flue, said table top extending beyond the walls of the body at the front and ends of the same and having vents in the lower side of such over-standing portions.

3. In a steam table, a hollow table top having an angle iron reinforcement about the ture a heating chamber with a flue extending upwardly therefrom into a hollow table top, a tank removably set in the horizontal partition, food receptacles removably set in said removable tank, a burner located in the lower chamber and acting on the removable tank, the waste products from said burner passing from said lower chamber up through the flue into the hollow table top, the horizontal partition also being located to provide above it a steam table chamber through which the food pans and tank may be removed as required.

5. A combined steam table and serving counter comprising a table structure having a hollow serving counter table top, a horizontally arranged steam table spaced below 3 the hollow table top, a warming chamber below said steam table and a heat flue extending up from said warming chamber, in back of the steam table into the hollow table top, a heater within the warming chamber beneath the steam table for heating the warming chamber, the steam table and the table top, said table structure being open at the back above the steam table for access to the steam table below the heated serving counter and open at the back below the steam table for access to the warming chamber.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of September, 1926. ANTHONY PERON. 

